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Nutra - Natural substances that deliver health benefits
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Tuesday, 05 May, 2026, 16 : 00 PM [IST]
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Dr Malathy Venkatesan
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Spices have played a vital role in Indian culture for thousands of years, not only as culinary ingredients but also as therapeutic agents. Modern science is now confirming what ancient practitioners understood intuitively – these aromatic plant compounds are far more than flavour enhancers. They are nutraceuticals; natural substances that deliver measurable health benefits beyond basic nutrition. All spices such as mace, cinnamon, tarragon, basil, dill, nutmeg, fennel, parsley, marjoram, anise, cardamom, cumin, and mint have flavouring properties. Mustard, red pepper, ginger, and horse radish are known and preferred for their pungency. Paprika, turmeric, and saffron have colourant property. In recent years, scientific research has paid more attention to their health promoting properties due to advances in spice processing, as well as better understanding of their chemical composition and therapeutic compounds.
Many of these commonly used spices have been shown positive health effect in human and animal studies. These include antioxidant property, anti-diabetic property, digestive stimulating property, ant carcinogenic property, anti-inflammatory potential and so on.
Common spices and their effect as nutraceuticals
Antioxidant potential:
Many commonly consumed spices exhibit significant antioxidant potential, primarily attributed to their high content of bioactive polyphenols, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, and tannins. Highest phenolic contents as well as flavonoid contents were found in clove, allspice, and cinnamon which relate to effective antioxidant potential.
Anti-inflammatory effect:
Indian spices contain potent anti-inflammatory compounds that inhibit inflammatory enzymes and cytokines, aiding in the management of chronic conditions like arthritis and heart disease. Key anti-inflammatory spices include turmeric (curcumin), ginger (gingerol), black pepper (piperine), cinnamon, and cloves. These spices work by blocking molecular pathways such as NF-?B and reducing markers like C-reactive protein (CRP). Best example is Turmeric which contains curcumin, known to inhibit NF-?B, a molecule that activates genes promoting inflammation. Curcumin is highly effective for reducing inflammatory markers like IL-6 and CRP.
Bioenhancer effect
Spices act as natural bioenhancers—agents that improve the bioavailability, absorption, and efficacy of drugs and nutrients without having significant pharmacological activity of their own at the doses used. Rooted in traditional Ayurvedic medicine (often termed Yogvahi), these spices help overcome low absorption rates, reduce drug dosages, minimise side- effects, and shorten treatment duration. Black Pepper with the active molecule piperine, is the most widely researched bioenhancer. It increases the bioavailability of various drugs (e.g., rifampicin, phenytoin, propranolol) by up to 200% by inhibiting drug-metabolising enzymes. Other spices studied as bioenhancers include turmeric (often paired with pepper), cumin, cinnamon, garlic.
The benefits of using spices as bioenhancers in modern medicine include:
- Reduced Treatment Costs: Lower doses of expensive medications (like anti-cancer or anti-TB drugs) are required.
- Reduced Side-Effects: Lower doses mean less toxicity to healthy tissues.
- Overcoming Resistance: By increasing intracellular drug concentration, they help combat multi-drug-resistant bacteria.
Effect on metabolic syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a combination of physiologically dysregulated parameters that can include elevated fasting blood glucose, high blood pressure, central obesity, increased triglyceride levels, insulin resistance, diabetes, elevated low density lipoprotein levels, and reduced high density lipoprotein levels in the blood. The effects of ginger, cinnamon, fenugreek, cardamon, saffron, and turmeric have been studied on key parameters related to metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and shown promise as an adjunct nutritional intervention.
Spices as functional food
Combinations of spices have been used in India from ancient times and consumed as food and known to help alleviation of symptoms. Rasam is a popular soup consumed in South India. The main spices used in rasam preparation are coriander, garlic, curry leaves, tamarind, cumin, black pepper, mustard, turmeric, red chili, and asafoetida. In South India, rasam is considered an effective home remedy for cold and its antipyretic effect. Significant antimicrobial activity of rasam has also been reported due to the active compounds in the spices and effective extraction due to boiling in water. Garam masala, a blend of spices including cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, cumin, and black pepper, is consumed in many food products especially curries in India. These spices have a diverse array of natural phytochemicals that have complementary and overlapping actions. In combination, the effect is on improving digestion, reducing inflammation, lowering cholesterol, effective antioxidant effect and so on.
Summary
The nutraceutical effects of dietary spices on various body systems and interest in the mechanism, epidemiology, and preclinical and clinical studies are reflected in the increasing number of publications on this topic. In India, the usual intake is in the form of groups or mixtures of spices. Thus, the complementary effect of individual spices can help in pharmacological activity. Further research is required to optimise the extraction of active chemicals, explore the synergistic effects of different herbs and spices, conduct more clinical trials, and enhance formulation development for functional foods and natural preservatives.
(The author is project coordinator, PFNDAI, and
consultant, food industry)
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